secret-face.com
  • Memorabilia
  • Reviews
  • Tabs
  • Links
  • About
  • News
  • Contact

Obituary - Inked In Blood (Relapse Records/2014)

4/5/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
This one is no 'Cause of Death', it is merely average, nothing inherently special or worthy of admirable praise.  It's not a total dud or bore, that would take out the effectiveness of the album.  I neither think of this release as a waste or total gem, it lies flat in the average death metal category.  It's nothing that's extremely extravagant musically, but you know it's "them", just a somewhat of a more modern form of "them."  These guys are notorious for creating slow, demented musical lines with vocals that are gruesome, but on here you get more of a higher end form of John Tardy, not the low-end style that was self-evident in the earlier days of the band.  You definitely get the brutal riffs here though.

What distinguishes this one from their prior releases have to be felt in the production sound quality as well as the vocals/music.  Their use of thick guitar chords are a self-evident truth in pretty much all of their releases, however, the quality in the riffing here isn't markingly high. They are less creative on this one which would lie in the musical department.  I didn't hear anything astonishing.  It just seemed like a repeat of guitar riffs and sub-par mixing quality.  The atmosphere is still dark, but would've been better if Tardy's vocals were more brutal.  They seemed to lack spunk in their efforts and their lead guitarist is no James Murphy.  He tries to capture that effect that Murphy had on the band.

This is a listenable release, however, don't expect anything that is glorious or exceptional.  It seems like as a band, they've lost effectivenes.  I mean to say that the music is average and the vocals are still all right, but the album's overall efficacy isn't there.  They're just playing mostly bar chords with some tremolo picking going on there.  The concept here is still Obituary's death metal sense which distinguishes them from the rest of the death metal community, but as far as something to get a physical copy of the CD to support the band is in question.  I mean I'm glad that I got a copy of this album, but the younger generation of death metal fans may view this as just as being repetitive as well as slow.

My contention regarding 'Inked In Blood' is that it does have its' moments where the music grasps you, takes you into the abyss of the grimness, and aura that reflects that a bit of the old era.  A less than handful of original members left here in the band, but still, I think that the songwriting could've been a little bit catchier.  There wasn't anything that flat out grasped me of an extraordinary sense, I think that their unique style remains, just the music wasn't very catchy or noteworthy.  They just put out mediocre guitar and I'd say some decent guitar leads echoing out there, but none that could ever top that of James Murphy's.  That guy was in a league of his own when it came to leads!

No, this isn't a monumental or hallmark performance musically, I thought it just a mediocre sensation of Obituary's output.  Yes, there are some fresh and good pieces there and my expectations weren't exceptionally high here, but what I heard on this album as I put it to study on was that it's decent, yet just mediocre.  Tardy's old style of vocals isn't there, it's simply a higher end version of him, though you do know that it IS him.  The production quality was just bland in a way.  I think that it could've been better, though it struck me as just being flat-sounding.  You get some of Obituary's old tendencies with a more modern tinge of them.  This band has been around for a while!  YouTube it first I'd say. 

Rate: 75%.

Reviewed By Death8699 (ryanfanucchi@gmail.com).
0 Comments

Cannibal Corpse - Butchered At Birth (Metal Blade/1991)

4/3/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
Best Barnes' era Cannibal Corpse by far.  The guitars not yet tuned down to B-flat, they're in E-flat the whole album, but the vocals are what make the album it's heaviest.  The music is more thrash oriented type of guitar playing.  However, they're heavier than that sound because they incorporate more tremolo picking as well as palm muted riffs.  They combine the thrash elements with the vocals and make this a virtual musical onslaught.  If they tuned to B-flat on here, it'd be such an even heavier sound release.  But as it, it did the band much justice.  This was the old lineup, though some of the original members still remain in the band.  Jack Owen is with Deicide now where he's not doing much songwriting.

There really isn't much variety in Barnes' low end-growls.  They have some back-up guest vocals very briefly.  I think that the music is what makes this album their best during this founding era.  What differentiates it from their earlier era releases is the fact that the guitars I think make the most difference.  I'd conclude still that "Meathook Sodomy" is my favorite guitar melody sounding riffing.  Throughout this under 40 minute onslaught is original songwriting put together which is absolutely astounding.  A lot of people I think miss that with this album.  From what I saw from the ratings were that this was highly underrated.  I think the guitars and vocals make the album brutal, unique and fast.  It's a slaughter!

Still not convinced?  Well, try to envision just hearing the guitar then just hearing the vocals then hear them together in your mind and see what the end result is.  Is it worth a perfect rating?  My answer is a resounding YES!  Why so high when it's being denounced?  Because the guitar, the leads, the vocals, the drums, the intensity, the magnificence in originality, and the production quality.  Every instrument/vocal outbursts are well heard on here.  It's really a relief that I have a physical copy of this because some albums you can hear on headphones, computer and stereo with depending on the quality of these devices you might hear something that you didn't already before that makes it extravagant.

Overall, the guitars made the most difference on here.  Barnes doesn't really have any range in his death metal oriented brutal style, though it fit on here.  The reason is because the guitars were intense though not thick like their post-Barnes' era of the band.  The music just is relentless.  There are tempo changes on here, though they're not a whole heck of a lot of them.  There's just enough I think.  I've never heard more well played early Cannibal Corpse guitars that were thick, though thrash metal style, but were still heavy!  What makes 'Butchered At Birth' stand alone is the fact that it's guitar riffing is the most creative and unique coming from a sickly and demented lyrical gutter.

If you think that Cannibal Corpse is good as they are now, you have to hear this one.  Who's best equipped for the band nowadays though?  I'd say Corpsegrinder, both because I think Barnes was no good for the band, but because they just musically are different now even though they're still cranking out brutal death metal.  'Butchered At Birth' covers everything possibly unique in its' time: songwriting quality in the guitars (plus execution), gutteral vocals, lyrical nightmare, better than quality production and every member of the band contributing in their intensity. 

Rate: 100%.

Reviewed By: Death8699 (ryanfanucchi@gmail.com).
1 Comment

    Categories

    All
    Aggressive Metal
    Black Metal
    Crossover Metal
    Death Metal
    Doom Metal
    Gothic Metal
    Grindcore
    Hard Rock
    Heavy Metal
    Melodic Metal
    Power Metal
    Progressive Metal
    Speed Metal
    Swedish Metal
    Thrash Metal

    Archives

    June 2018
    May 2018
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    July 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.